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<title>Who Shall Conceive the Horrors of His Secret Toil? by RubyMaeFox</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28500537">Who Shall Conceive the Horrors of His Secret Toil?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyMaeFox/pseuds/RubyMaeFox'>RubyMaeFox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: The Next Generation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 17:54:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28500537</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyMaeFox/pseuds/RubyMaeFox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Q Continuum is under attack. A dangerous being is hunting them down and the only ones who can help them are Deanna Troi and Jean-Luc Picard. Troi and Picard join forces with Q, and the past of the Enterprise and the Continuum comes back to haunt them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Who Shall Conceive the Horrors of His Secret Toil?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The title of this story is taken from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story is influenced by The Hunger Games and Stranger Things.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How is the crew doing, Counselor?” Picard asked Deanna Troi as she sat down at his Ready Room desk.</p><p>“I’d say well, overall,” she responded, taking a cup of tea he handed her, “but I think this last mission was very difficult for many of them. I’d like to recommend shore leave for a number of officers, and anyone else who wants to take it as well.”</p><p>Picard agreed with her wholeheartedly. The crew had just been on a rescue mission to save an entire colony from a natural disaster, and although the mission was successful, members of the crew were stressed and exhausted. Many had worked around the clock with very little rest, and that was affecting their mental health and efficiency. Shore leave was definitely in order, no question, Picard just needed to find a way to make it happen. </p><p>“I think shore leave is an excellent idea,” Picard agreed, “we’re not that far from Risa, it would only take us a few days off course if we were to stop there…”</p><p>“Did somebody say, shore leave?!” a familiar boisterous voice said loudly. A bright light flashed around Picard’s mug and the tea was replaced by a piña colada.</p><p>“Oh no,” Picard said apprehensively, “please, not again…”</p><p>Another bright light flashed and Q appeared before them wearing swimming trunks and holding a large beach ball.</p><p>“Jean-Luc!” Q exclaimed flamboyantly, “Counselor Troi! It is so wonderful to see you again!”</p><p>“The feeling isn’t mutual, Q,” Picard replied through clenched teeth, “what do you want now?”</p><p>“To join you on shore leave, of course!” he exclaimed, “can’t you tell by how I’m dressed? Of course, I can think of better places to go than that boring Risa. I know, there’s a wonderful planet in the remote section of the galaxy, you’ll love it there!”</p><p>“Q, no!” Picard barked, but it was too late. Q snapped his fingers and the Enterprise spun around in a flash of light until it stopped at an unfamiliar blue planet. </p><p>“Riker to Picard,” they heard on the intercom, “we’ve just been thrown lightyears off course…”</p><p>“I know, Number One,” Picard replied, glaring at Q, “our friend Q is paying us a visit.”</p><p>“You called me a friend, Picard!” Q said excitedly, “I knew you secretly liked me!”</p><p>“Haven’t you heard of sarcasm, Q?” Troi snapped.</p><p>“Oh, please, Counselor, don’t ruin this moment for me and Jean-Luc!” he said with a dismissive wave. “Now, if you’ll both join me, I’d like to show you the surface of the planet!”</p><p>“Stop it, Q!” Picard shouted, then he found himself standing on a sandy beach. “Where the hell are we?” He demanded.</p><p>“The ultimate shore leave planet, Captain!” he said brightly, “come, you two, I’d like to show you this hiking trail!” He began striding forward when Troi’s voice stopped him.</p><p>“Why do you need me here, Q?” Troi asked suspiciously, “you’ve never asked for me on one of your ‘visits’ before.”</p><p>“Because you’re the counselor, of course!” he replied dramatically, “I wanted you here to approve this planet for shore leave!”</p><p>Troi walked to him slowly and stared hard into his eyes.</p><p>“No,” she said firmly, “tell me why we’re really here.”</p><p>“I’m offended that you mistrust me, Deanna,” he said with mock-injury, “don’t you want to see this beautiful planet?”</p><p>“No,” Troi replied with steel in her voice, “but you want us to see it. There’s something here that terrifies you, Q. Tell me what it is.”</p><p>Q’s face darkened. “Your Betazoid senses are faulty, Deanna!” he growled.</p><p>“Counselor,” Picard said as he moved to her side, “can you read his emotions right now?!”</p><p>“Yes,” she said darkly, “I can’t usually, but right now his fear is so intense that it’s impossible not to read it.”</p><p>“Are you alright, counselor?” Picard asked, “Will his emotions overpower you?”</p><p>“I’m fine, Captain,” she said, “his emotions don’t seem to be affecting me like the feelings of humans do.” She returned her gaze to Q. “But he’s not fine, Captain.” She paused and looked past him to the wooded area. “He’s terrified of something in the woods.”</p><p>“What’s in the woods, Q?!” Picard barked, “why are you trying to lure us there?”</p><p>“I’m not trying to ‘lure’ you, anywhere Jean-Luc!!” Q snapped, ”Now come and see...:”</p><p>“We’re not anywhere with you, Q!” Picard yelled, then crossed his arms and glared at him.<br/>
Q inhaled and glowered at them both. His eyes blazed and Picard thought for a moment that Q might actually hurt them, then Q said something that sent chills down Picard’s spine.</p><p>“The universe is in trouble,” Q said in a low voice, “and you two are the only ones who can save it. I need you to come with me, right now, or our very existence may be destroyed!”</p><p>“What?” Picard whispered.</p><p>“He’s telling the truth, Captain,” Troi said suddenly, her eyes huge, “we need to go with him, now!” </p><p>“Thank you,” Q said angrily, then he bolted into the woods. Troi followed him with Picard close behind her.</p><p>“What’s going on, Counselor?” Picard asked as he ran down the path before them.</p><p>“I don’t know, Captain,” she replied as she jumped over a rock and darted around a bush, “but we need to hurry!” </p><p>“Q, why don’t you just snap your fingers and transport us to wherever we’re going?” Picard shouted as he ducked under a low branch.</p><p>“Because I don’t have any powers in these woods!” Q roared back, “none of us do!” </p><p>Q ran through a cluster of bushes, then came to a clearing and stopped dead in his tracks. Troi and Picard skidded to a stop behind him and stared in horror at the scene before them. </p><p>The clearing before them was filled with limp, lifeless bodies. </p><p>Q took a few steps forward, then fell to his knees. “No,” he moaned, “no...no...no…”</p><p>Troi went to him and knelt beside him.</p><p>“What’s happened?” she asked quietly, instinctively placing a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“He came back,” Q whimpered, “and he killed them. He killed them all!”</p><p>“Who came back?” Picard demanded, kneeling on the other side of Q, “Who did he kill?”</p><p>“My brethren!” Q wailed, “my fellow Q!”</p><p>“All of them?” Picard said in horror, staring at the field of corpses. “This is the entire Q continuum? </p><p>“Not all of them,” Q said in a shaky voice, “just the ones he captured, but he’s not going to stop killing us until he hunts every Q down and executes us all!” Q turned to Picard, his eyes wild, “And when he’s done killing us, he’ll be coming for you, Picard. He’ll be coming to execute humanity!”</p><p>“What?” Picard responded in horror.</p><p>“Captain,” Troi said calmly, “come here.” She rose and moved to the closest cluster of bodies. She knelt down to study them and covered her mouth in horror.</p><p>“My God,” she whispered, “Captain!”</p><p>Picard rose, then knelt beside her. He looked at the slain Q before him, then stared into the field of corpses and his blood ran cold. </p><p>“No,” he whispered.</p><p>On the face of each Q was a red, angry splotch. They were identical to the one he’d seen on a fallen comrade years ago, as she lay dying on a biobed. Her murderer had killed her so easily, and now he’d slain an entire field of omnipotent beings. There was no question who had committed this mass murder, the only question was when he was going to strike again.</p><p>“Armus,” Picard said bitterly, “the monster is back.”</p>
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